Twelve more security bunkers in Srinagar to go

Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir government Thursday decided to remove 12 more bunkers of security forces from Srinagar city as part of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah`s plans to reduce the visible presence of security forces in cities and towns across the state.

Abdullah, who chaired a high-level security meeting here, tweeted immediately after the meeting: "Just finished a security review. As part of our efforts to reduce visible presence of forces in Srinagar we are removing 12 more bunkers."

"That brings the total to 39 including the earlier 2 rounds, all from Srinagar. Other large towns to follow."

After coming to power in January 2009, Abdullah got an army camp in Sopore town of north Kashmir vacated.

That was the first such step in 20 years following the outbreak of separatist violence in the state in 1989.

The process of removing the bunkers started in October last year as part of the eight-point package to address various aspects of Kashmir problem at a time when the state was still witnessing the effects of four months of continuous stone-throwing protests in the valley, which led to over 110 deaths, mostly in firing by security forces..